Shoe



Nqv. 16, 1937. A. w. DONOVAN ET AL SHOE Filed March 8, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet l NOV- 1.6, 1937. A. w. DONOVAN ET AL 2,099,436

SHOE

Filed March s, 1935 4 sheets-sheet 2 Nov. 16,' 1937. A. w. DONOVAN ET AL 2,099,436

SHOE

Filed March 8, 19.55 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 'l IlllIllllIlll/l//l/A r11/[11111111111111111114 Nov. 16, 1937. A. w. DONOVAN ET Al.

SHOE

Filed March 8, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 LES Patented Nov. 16, 1937 UNITED s'riviias zenne SHOE Alfred W. Donovan, Quincy, and Alfred F. Donovan, Baston, Mass., assignors to E. T. Wright e Company, Inc., Rockland, Mass., a corporatien 'of Massachusetts ./-ippiieation March 8,

3 Ciaiims.

This invention pertains to footwear and relates more particularly to shoes designed to prevent or to correct certain common foot ailments, a1- though it is to be understood thatthe utility of the inventionin its broader aspects is not restricted to such corrective shoes.

One common foot defect, known as pronation, is a tendency of the foot to roll inward so that the Weight is no longer properly supported upon the insole of the shoe but rests in part upon the shoe upper at the inner edge of the insole. To correct this tendency it has heretofore been proposed to provide an insole with an extension projecting from its inner edge along the instep, such projection being so shaped, for example during lasting, as to constitute a guard, operative to bear against theinside surface of the foot and to support the foot in opposition to its tendency to roll or flow inwardly. However, such eXtension of the insole is not altogether adequate for the purpose, since in resisting the pressure of the foot, such extension acts, speaking in mechanical terms, substantially 'like a beam supported at one end, the character and form of the upper material at this point being such as to lend little eiiective support to the outer upper part of this extension. In consequence such insole extension soon loses its .strength and lasted shape, particularly when moist, and thus can' not be depended upon for any length of time to function as intended, even if stiff and fairly effective when the shoe is new.

In accordance with the present invention, the desired supporting and guarding action is obtained by extending the usual sti counter member forwardly .along the inside of the shoe to a point which preferably is adjacent to the forward end of the shoe shank,--the lowerpart or flange of `the counter being firmly anchored in the shoe bottom structure throughout its entire length. Since the counter is of substantial depth, and at its rear end is sharply arched (in horizontal section), the counter extension strongly resists deformation and thus provides a substantial support for the foot along Vthe shank portion of the shoe.

In order to provide as smooth and uninterrupted a foot supporting surface as is possible and at the same time to take advantage of such additional supporting action as may be obtainable from the upper of the shoe, it is proposed, in accordance with the present invention, to arrange the forward extensionoi the counter at theinner side of the shoe lining-the quarter lining being slit at a suitable point forward of the heel 1935, sensi No. v10mn (c1. ses-8.5)

to allow the-counterto protrude to the interior of theshoe; In this way the hard surface 'of th-e insole directly merges with the hard surface of the counter, and if one or both ofthe meeting surfaces be thin, beveled or skiVed, a substantially uninterrupted, rigid, stiff and strong curved footsupport-ing surface is obtained.V

Furthermore, as the extension of the counter is inside of the lining, both .the lining and the outer member of the upper assist, to some extent at least, in bracing and retaining the lasted shape of the counter extension.

While the counterextension, provided as above described, is useful and in most cases Wholly adel quate for the intended purpose, 4it is proposedl in accordance with this vinvention further to brace Ait and assist it in resisting outward pressure of the foot. To this end the upper is furnished with a suspension element or sling, for example-a strip of substantially inextensibleV material such as woven or braided webbing rmly anchored to the top edge of the. upper as, `for instance, at a point yadjacent to the vent and extending downwardly to a .lower lpoint of anchoragein the shoe bottom structure, such sling preferably being disposed between the lining and the outer element of the upper and being so located that the free forward end yofthe counter :extension is overlapped and girded by this sling. In a'preferred construction, this sling is a bifurcated member of invertedvshape, having its upper member anchored, as described, to the top portion ofthe upper, and having the ends of its downwardly divergent arms anchoredto lthe shoe bottom structure, said :arms passing down on theV outer side of the counter extension and helpingto prevent outward bulging of the latter.

When, with such a construction, the shoe is snugly laced, .the sling is placed under tension and, by reason of its inextensible character, effectively yprevents outward bending of the counter extension when subjected to the pressure of the foot. This reinforce sling has a further advantage, during the process lof manufacture, since its lower end (or ends) vaffords a convenientelement to be grasped by lasting pincers in applying lasting strain Yto Ythe upperyand by Vreason of the strong and inextensible character of the sling, itis thus possible to exertiorce to last-in the forward end of the counter extension against the wood of the last, which is 4not easy to do by applying lasting stress directly to the Lipper material alone.

Among the contributing lfactors to many foot ailments is the constriction by the shoe of the blood vessels of the foot so that normal and adequate supply of blood to the tissues of the foot is interfered with. Some of the more important blood vessels are located at the top of the foot very near the surface and just where the shoe laces cross from one side to the other. Thus, if a shoe, particularly when provided with the suspension or sling device above described, is tightly laced (as it must be for effective action of the sling), the laces tend to press into the top of the foot to such an extent as seriously to interfere with the blood circulation as well as to cause discomfort to the wearer. To avoid this difficulty, the quarter lining, which, as Vabove noted, is slit near its rear end to permit protrusion of the counter extension, differs further from the usual quarter lining in having its forward parts, that is to say, those parts which receive the lacing eyelets, made of or including a soft, cushion element, for example, felt or the like, into which the lacing readily sinks so that the top of the foot is relieved of constrictive localized pressure. Thus not only is the foot, if initially abnormal, adequately supported against tendency to turn or roll inwardly (pronate) but the conditions which might lead to such abnormality or other undesirable and troublesome foot ailments are eliminated.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be pointed out and may be hereinafter referred to in the more detailed description appended hereto and by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a shoe for the right foot, embodying the present invention and having a portion of the upper at the right-hancl or outer side of the shoe broken away and in section to show the interior construction, the heel pad being removed;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section substantially on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevation, to small scale, showing the foot-contacting side of an improved quarter lining embodying features of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a plan view, to small scale, of a counter comprised in the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section substantially on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic transverse cross section at the shank portion of a shoe illustrative of forces which act upon the shoe parts and upon the foot;

Fig. 'l is a fragmentary elevation, with parts broken away, showing the forward end of an improved quarter lining embodying certain desirable features of the present invention;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation, to small scale, of a shoe upper and assembled counter embodying certain features of the invention;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary elevation of the inner side of the upper at the vent portion of the latter, with the tongue turned dov/n to show the shoe lace and adjacent parts;

Fig. 10 is a section substantially on the line is-Iil of Fig. 9, but to larger scale;

Fig. 11 is a section, to larger scale, on the line H-H of Fig. 9;

Figs. 12, 13 and 14 are diagrammatic bottom views of a shoe made in accordance with the present invention, showing certain steps in the lasting process;

Fig. 15 is a view similar to Fig. '7, but illustrating a slight modification;

Fig. 16 is a View similar to Fig. l, showing the device of Fig. 15 embodied in a shoe and showing the heel pad in place;

Fig. 17 is a section substantially on the line I'I-II of Fig. 16;

Fig. 18 is a plan view of a preferred form of heel pad useful in shoes such as shown in Figs. l and 16, for example;

Fig. 19 is a broken perspective, partly in section, of a shank wedge useful in the practice of the invention;

Fig. 20 is a side elevation, to smaller scale, of the shoe shown in Fig. l, but viewed from the opposite side;

Fig. 2l. is a plan view of a blank useful in making a sling of the kind illustrated in Fig. 16; and

Fig. 22 is a rear View of the same blank, after folding, and in readiness for use in a shoe.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral l designates a shoe embodying the present invention,- the shoe illustrated being a mans shoe for the right foot and comprising the upper U, the outer sole S, the heel H, the lace L, and the inner sole 2.

The quarter of the shoe upper comprises the outer member 4, which may be of leather or other suitable material, the quarter lining 5 and the counter l. This counter, as illustrated in Fig. 4, is a stiff, moulded counter made from leather, ber board, or such other material as is appropriate for such purpose and has the flange 8 at its lower edge adapted to be secured against the under surface of the inner sole. The counter also comprises the side wall 9 of approximately the usual length, such as to terminate at about the plane of the breast of the shoe heel, the wall 9 being that which is disposed at the outer side of the foot, that is to say, the right-hand side of the shoe shown in Fig. l. The side wall of the opposite side of the counter comprises the forwardly directed extension l adapted to reach along the shank portion of the shoe, if desired, substantially to the ball of the foot, such forward extension l il preferably terminating in a smoothly curved edge ii which is concave rearwardly.

In accordance with the present invention the quarter lining is provided with a slit i2, preferably curved, through which the extension l@ of the counter emerges from the outside of the lining 4 to the inner side of the latter. This slit l2 preferably is curved in such a way that the rear end i3 of the exposed portion ofthe counter is concave forwardly on such an arc that the exposed portion of the counter, viewed from the inside of the shoe, is substantially symmetrical. However, the exact shape of the slit i2 and the exact shape of the end il of the counter extension are not substantially material and may be varied as desired.

The quarter, if desired, may comprise a doubler i4 interposed between the outer member and the lining, such a doubler being indicated in Fig. 7 as interposed between the outer member 'l and the lining 5. This quarter lining 5 may be of any suitable material, for example leather, particularly at that part which embraces the heel of the foot, and is united to the vamp lining l5 by means of a seam I5 in the usual way. The forward or vent portions of the quarter lining are pro-vided with the usual eyelets i8 for the reception of the lace L, and in accordance with the present invention these vent portions preferably comprise lining members I9 of felt, napped fabric, velvet or other suitable soft cushioning material, replacing the lining member 5 at this part of the lining and being united to the member 5 by a seam 20.

'In' accordanceA withfione embodiment: of the present invention Ifprovidell astrap'; girder,'for sling' devicey 2| 'interposed betwec'nftlie cushionfelementy l Ef off'the: quarterfliningland the outer-msm.-

ber 'l-lofthe cpdarterl atf-this point".` `IFhiS-IstrapAV 2.11 is preferably of somesubstantiallyi"inextensible material .such asa woven' or.. braideditape; canvas orthe like and, 'if desiredi may: be united. at its upper-"edge toI the: cushion memberl |9:f byrla seamf 22, such` seami being.' substantially-J parallel tothe edge lisci the vent portion ofltheupper. Certain of the eyelets: Ilia for e'Xample,^may pass through the upper parti of thisrstrap.- 2| and serve to anchorV the. latterfvery rmfly: tol the outer member lV as' well asit'o itheI cushi'on'member i9: If desired, .the seamiZZamay beomitted.. ins illustrated v.in Figs. 7 5 andiv; .the strap 2|. extends down' below the: lower edge-ofl theishoezrupper beforelasting, and this extended'l portion of.` the strap forms a: `convenient means;A forf applying stress lto the-upperv duringllasting., thereby to'fdraw theliningifirmly` against the wood Ofithe last.,

The strap 27| is disposed'. at. such. a point.' in the shoe upper that whenfit is .tensioned during the lasting operation,` the" strap'. overlapsT .the forward-end` atleast of the; extensionfmemberf l0 of the counter. Thus by applying tensionzto: this Y strap, the forward edge ofthei` extension limay be drawn in veryr forcibly towardthefside of: the last.

Inligs.` l2, 13 andllizcertainstepsein thezlastingr operation are illustrated-Fig;12 showing the inner'soleZ and the upper with itsf strap 2.! assembledupon the lastVV and held. in yspindled relation by the tackT at the: rear; end of the upper. AfterV the. assembly of the parts in this Way,. the upper is pulled over' and the tacks 24 inserted at theV toe. Following; this operation, the laster may seize the'end of the strap 2-.I and. apply tension to the strapi such asztoz pull-.it up and inwardlyover the-last bottom, therebyfdrawing in the lining member 5 andwthe'extension 10 ofthe counter so that thelatter-'is brought into very intimate contact with`v theA wood 1 ofthe last'. The tension on the strap-25; may-be:.exerted;ln the general. direction. of the arrowA in'Fig.. 13, and when the parts of. the upperhave-been` pulled in as snugly as desiredg-atack 25.` maybe inserted through theI strap, therebyJ t'offhold. the parts in the lasted position.

The Vlasting operation is` then completed'v infaccordance with any'desired method, and iftheshoe is to be a welt shoe, the weltl W..(Fig.. 14) will? be sewed onto the insole by means-of the,I stitched seam 25. The stitchesf of this seam. will.` pass .through the strap 25, thus permanently anchoring the latter in position to the. bottom. structure of the shoe, and the tack ZS-maythenv be withdrawn',

if desired. If the shoe be of othergtype; vfor example a McKay shoe, `thetack 25 maybe left in place to form a' permanent anchorage for the strap, or the strap may be cemented or stapled in position in accordance with other methods of shoe manufacture.

When the shoe is removed from the last, the

extension lil of the counter will be exposed to view on the inner side of the shoe substantially as illustrated in Fig. 1. Preferably a heel pad of the usual finished and soft leather is inserted at some time after lasting. This pad is desirably ofthe general shape illustrated in Fig. 18 so as to cover at least the heel and shank portions of the inner sole in accordance with usual practice. Preferably, however, the heel pad 28 is furnished with a side flap 29 which is adapted to lie in contact with to 'view-f.n This'expcsedportion of the counter may i conveniently` form: a surface for thereception of .a trade-mark or other identifying characteristic.

Referring to Fig. 6, which isa diagrammatic transverse sectionv of aleft. shoe substantially at Ithesl'iank portion ofthe latter, the upper is indicated-atti, the insole at 2, the shoe laces` atL, and the forw'ard'extension ofthe counteratzlil.' When the 1acefIi is drawn` tightly toA cause the upper snugly to embracethe foot, it exerts inward tensionalstressesl in the'direction ofI the arrows3l and 3|, andthesein turn produce tensionin. the upper-in 'the direction: ofl the arrows 32 and 33 near. the= junction ofl the upper with the bottom structure. 'These ten-sional forces, exerted',v by and-through the upper, tend to push the'counter extension I0 inwardlyrwith a compressive stress, asindicated by thel arrowv 34', against-.the foot'. of thefwearer, thus effectively. opposing any` tend*- ency of the foot to roll inwardly or pronate. However, they application of. tension in. thismanner, asbymeansof the: strap 21|, above described, which is interposed:b.etween the outer member of the upper.:` and-.the: counter extension, results' in the establishmentY of. downward `conipressi'v'e forces, indicated' by. the arrows 35f and 3, upon the'. topi o t'the:Wearers. foot; and', as previously noted, these compressive forces', acting uponv the upper:v surfacei of1thefoot, which isi not by nature intendedi-to sustain suchzforcesfor pressures, may

seriouslyinterfere'withthe blood, circulation if 1.

.these pressures are. unduly localized.

To avoid: the transmission. ofV` ,this pressure through.- thefindividual eyelets or laces" to .the upperT surface ofthe' foot, as is .thetendency when the: laces are;l drawn. upr snugly, I preflerto. employ the-cushion;elements` I9? at the forward or.A vent portionsof the quarter. lining; asA above described..

Referring 11o-Figs.: 10.` and 11, it may be noted that therinneranges of the eyelets l8;sink down intothisx-soft, cushion-like material i9 so that they: lie below they normalsurface of the latter. Likewise-when: thelacesl L1 are drawntight', so as to bringthe edges Il of .the vent" portions ofthe quarter into intimate relationship, the laces themlsel-vasi sin-k; down'into. the cushionV material' lli, as 'shown' in Fig. 11,. so: that. the-lacesJdor.. not exert Ilocalizedpressureupon theztop surface off thefoot, thefpressure being distributedmore or less uniformly; over ,the` upper part of the-foot'so that fthe blood?A vesselsY are/not. constricted and there isno danger: of. `local rinjuryfto ,f the delica'teand, tender tissues of the foot.

In Figs. 15, 16 and 17 I have illustrated a preferred form of my strap, girder, or sling device, the strap illustrated in Figs. 15 and 16 being of bifurcated form more or less like an inverted V in shape, having the upper part 21a which is anchored between the inner and outer parts of the quarter of the shoe as, for example, by the eyelets |811, and having the divergent downwardly directed legs 2 Ib and 2IC. While preferably of integral one-piece construction, the V-shaped strap or sling may consist of two single straight straps properly overlapped at their upper ends. As illustrated in Fig. 16, the leg 2| of this strap or sling device is located at substantially the same point as the single strap or sling 2| above described, while the leg 2lb extends downwardly and rearwardly and girds the mid-portion of the extension i@ of the counter. With this arrangement, the tightening of the shoe lace exerts a forward and upward tensional stress on the upper through the substantially inextensible strap member 2 ld, thus holding the central part of the counter extension firmly in place to support the inner arch of the foot, and at the same time assisting in holding the outer part of the shoe quarter smooth and snug and without wrinkles against the foot.

In the shoe shown in Fig. 16, the heel pad 28 is positioned so as substantially to cover that portion of the counter extension which lies Within the quarter lining, but through the window 29a in this heel pad a small portion of the extension ID is exposed to View for the purpose of permitting ready identification of the shoe construction.

In order that the bottom structure of the shoe may be as rigid as possible at its extreme inner edge at the shank, a wedge member 31 is disposed between the outer and inner soles at this part of the shoe, said wedge member being of leather or other material which is stiff but at the same time capable of being sewed in place by the stitches 38 which attach the outer sole, this wedge piece acting, to a certain degree at least, to extend laterally the supporting actio-n of the steel shank piece, which itself cannot be extended outwardly past the line of stitches.

Preferably, also, the heel is provided, adjacent to its forward, inner corner, with a wedge 39 (Fig. 20), which increases the height of the heel at this point, thus tending to tilt the foot outwardly to assist in overcoming pronation.

The bifurcated sling member of Fig. 15 may conveniently be made from a blank 40 of suitable material, for example, canvas, and shaped more or less as illustrated in Fig. 21. This blank may then be folded to provide double thicknesses of material and the plies may be united by adhesive, or by stitches, as illustrated at 4I in Fig. 22.

While I have herein illustrated and described certain desirable embodiments of the invention by way of example, I wish it to be understood that my invention is not necessarily to be limited to the precise arrangements here illustrated, and that substitutions of materials and variations in the arrangement and relative location of parts are to be regarded as within the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A shoe comprising an upper including a quarter having a lining, an insole and a stiff hard counter having a flange at its lower margin, the rear end portion and one side wall of the counter being covered and concealed by the lining and the lower edge of the counter being anchored in the bottom structure of the shoe, the other side wall of the counter having an extension disposed at the inner side of the lining and which reaches forwardly substantially to the forward end of the shank, the upper comprising a substantially inextensible sling member disposed between the outer member of the upper and the lining, said sling member being permanently anchored at its upper end adjacent to the vent of the upper and having its lower end anchored in the shoe bottom structure, said sling girding the counter extension adjacent to the forward end of the latter and being operative, during lasting the shoe, to draw the ilanged margin of the counter extension snugly against the lower part of the last.

2. A shoe comprising an upper including a quarter having a lining, an insole and a stiff counter having a flange at its lower margin, the rear end portion and that side wall of the counter which lies at the outer side of the shoe being covered and concealed by the lining, the other side wall of the counter having an extension disposed at the inner side of the lining and which reaches forward substantially to the forward end of the shank, the upper comprising fastener means operative to constrict the upper about the foot and also including a substantially inextensible sling device arranged to gird the counter extension and being operative, during lasting, tov

draw the flanged margin of the counter extension firmly against the last, said sling device being permanently anchored to the upper near the top of the latter and being placed under tension by the operation of the fastener means in constricting the upper about the Vfoot of the wearer, and a cushion element operative to distribute the pressure exerted by the constrictive action of said fastener means and sling device thereby to prevent injury to the upper part of the foot.

3. A shoe comprising an upper including a quarter having a lining, an insole and a stiff counter, the rear end portion and that side wall of the counter which lies at the outer side of the shoe being covered and concealed by the lining, the other side wall of the counter having an extension disposed at the inner side of the lining and which reaches forward substantially to the forward end of the shank, the upper having eyelets along its vent portion, and lace means engaging said eyelets and operative to constrict the upper about the foot, a substantially inextensible sling interposed between the outer member of the upper and the lining and girding the counter extension, said sling being permanently secured to the upper by means of the aforesaid eyelets, and cushioning means at the inner side of the upper at the region of the Vent operative to prevent injury to the foot by the'action of the lacing means when the upper is constricted about the top of the foot.

ALFRED W. DONOVAN.

ALFRED F. DONOVAN. 

